The Book Deal

Let's say you could get the advice of a major publishing house editor. Would that help you get published? I think so.

Alan Rinzler
Alan Rinzler has been an acquisitions and developmental editor with major publishing houses for decades. He's now a consulting editor, who helps clients by evaluating manuscripts, providing developmental editing, and even helping to write book proposals.

The Book Deal: An Inside View of Publishing
Alan Rinzler also writes an informative and useful blog called The Book Deal, subtitled An Inside View of Publishing. In his short article About The Book Deal Blog, Alan Rinzler writes:

The Book Deal is a blog for writers and book people, with a veteran insider’s views on the strange and inscrutable way books are published and the big changes going on in the business today. Look here for my take on the challenges and opportunities writers face in the world of digital and print book publishing, the mysterious process of acquisition, development, sales, and marketing, how agents and publishers conspire and compete behind the scenes to find the best new authors, and other special features.

Grab Readers by the Throat
One of my favourite articles by Alan Rinzler is Ask the editor: The top 5 secrets to getting a book deal. The first secret in this article is to "Bulk up your concept". Alan Rinzler goes on to concisely describe what editors are hoping for in a concept:

We want to see a concept with a strong premise that has energy, intensity, utility, focus and vision. We want books that will grab readers by the throat, quicken their pulses, and resonate for their own lives.

We want authors who have something new to say about an important subject or story, who bring a fresh voice or unusual perspective on a topic of concern to many people. Authors who are passionate about their ideas and stories, who bring to their work a maturity, expertise, and a visceral compulsion to write that comes from their hearts.

An editor can usually tell right away if a concept has a new idea or point of view.

It’s also helpful for you or your agent to know as much as possible about any given editor’s special interests or personal biases.

In particular, I was inspired and instructed by the sentence, "We want books that will grab readers by the throat, quicken their pulses, and resonate for their own lives". Have a look at what you're writing right now. When someone starts reading it, are they going to be grabbed by the throat? If it just tickles their curiosity, it's not enough. It needs to overpower them. Will it quicken their pulse? It has to excite them, like a drug. Does it resonate for their own lives? People need to feel empathy, or sympahty, or best: they need to learn something about themselves. Your writing should reflect the reader's own character back to her like a mirror.

Summary
Alan Rinzler is an editor with decades of experience. He has chosen to share some of this experience in an insightful blog called The Book Deal. If you want to get published, then you want to read this blog, and subscribe to it.